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Lean manufacturing glossary

Short, plain definitions of the 136 lean terms you hear most on the shop floor, from 5S and OEE to takt time and yokoten. Each entry answers the question first, then points to a longer guide on this site and, where there is one, the LeanSuite page that covers it.

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5 Whys

The 5 Whys is a root cause analysis technique that asks “why?” repeatedly, with each answer becoming the next question, until the team reaches a cause it can act on. Five is a rule of thumb, not a fixed count. It works best on problems with a single chain of cause and effect, and each answer should be checked against facts at the gemba rather than guessed in a meeting room.

Learn more

Guide: What is the 5 Whys Root Cause Analysis Method?
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis
Free: 5 Whys template

5G methodology

The 5G methodology is a problem investigation discipline that confirms five things before anyone proposes a cause: gemba (the actual place), gembutsu (the actual thing), genjitsu (the actual facts), genri (the principles that apply), and gensoku (the standard the process should follow). The first three are gathered by going to see; the last two compare what was found with how the process is supposed to work. It keeps root cause analysis grounded in evidence rather than opinion.

Learn more

Guide: 5G Methodology: Toyota’s Problem Investigation Framework
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

5S

5S is a workplace organization method with five steps: Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Teams remove what is not needed, give everything a marked place, clean and inspect, write the standard down, and audit it so the area stays that way. A well-run 5S area makes abnormalities, missing tools, and safety hazards obvious at a glance.

Learn more

Guide: 5S Methodology: A Complete Guide for Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: 5S, Audit Management
Free: 5S audit checklist template

5S audit

A 5S audit is a regular, scored check of a work area against its 5S standard, using a fixed checklist for each of the five S’s. It is usually done by a supervisor or a rotating auditor on a set schedule, and the score is posted in the area so the team can see its trend. Findings become actions, which is how the Sustain step is kept up rather than left to good intentions.

Learn more

Guide: 5S Audits: Conducting Effective Workplace Reviews
In LeanSuite: 5S, Audit Management

5W1H

5W1H is a questioning method that describes a problem or a plan by answering six questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how. In problem solving it produces a clear, fact-based problem statement before any cause analysis starts; in planning it makes sure an action has an owner, a scope, a place, and a date. Some versions add “how much” to make 5W2H.

Learn more

Guide: 5W1H Method: Defining Problems for Root Cause Analysis
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

6Ms of production

The 6Ms are six categories used to sort the possible causes of a production problem: man (people), machine, method, material, measurement, and mother nature (environment). They are the usual bones of a fishbone diagram, and working through each one keeps a team from fixing only the cause it already suspects. The older five-category version, the 5Ms, leaves out mother nature.

Learn more

Guide: The 6Ms of Production: A Complete Manufacturing Guide
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

8 wastes of lean (DOWNTIME)

The eight wastes of lean are the kinds of activity that use time and resources without adding value for the customer: defects, overproduction, waiting, non-utilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, and extra processing. The first letters spell DOWNTIME, a common way to remember them. The original Toyota Production System named seven; unused talent was added later.

Learn more

Guide: The 8 Wastes of Lean Manufacturing: DOWNTIME Explained
In LeanSuite: Loss & Cost Management

8D problem solving

8D problem solving is a team method for fixing a serious or recurring problem in eight steps, called disciplines: form the team, describe the problem, contain it, find the root cause, choose permanent corrective actions, implement and verify them, prevent recurrence, and recognize the team. It is common in automotive and supplier quality, where customers often require an 8D report in response to a complaint.

Learn more

Guide: 8D Problem Solving: The Eight Disciplines Method for Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Non-Conformance (NCR)
Free: 8D report template

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A

A3 problem solving

A3 problem solving is a structured method that fits a whole problem on one A3-size sheet: background, current condition, goal, root cause analysis, countermeasures, and follow-up. The single page forces the team to agree on the facts and keep the story short enough for anyone to review. It follows the PDCA cycle and is often used by a leader to coach the person who owns the problem.

Learn more

Guide: A3 Problem Solving: A Practical Guide to Root Cause Analysis
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects
Free: A3 problem solving template

Andon

Andon is a visual, and often audible, signal an operator uses to call for help when a problem occurs at a station, such as a defect, a missing part, or a machine fault. Pulling the andon brings a team leader to the spot quickly, and on many lines the line stops if the problem is not cleared within a set time. It is a core tool of jidoka: stop and fix problems where they happen instead of passing them on.

Learn more

Guide: Andon Systems: Visual Quality Alerts and Problem Notification in Manufacturing

Related: Jidoka, Visual management

Autonomous maintenance

Autonomous maintenance is the TPM pillar in which machine operators take on basic equipment care: cleaning, inspecting, lubricating, tightening, and spotting abnormalities early. It is usually introduced in seven steps, starting with initial cleaning and moving toward operators managing their own equipment standards. Maintenance technicians are then freed for planned and more skilled work.

Learn more

Guide: Autonomous Maintenance: The Seven-Step Process
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

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B

Behavior-based safety (BBS)

Behavior-based safety (BBS) is an approach to injury prevention that focuses on what people observably do at work. Trained observers watch tasks, record safe and at-risk behaviors, give immediate feedback, and use the pattern of observations to fix the conditions and systems that drive at-risk behavior. Done well, it is a conversation between peers, not a search for someone to blame.

Learn more

In LeanSuite: Behavior-Based Safety

Bottleneck

A bottleneck is the step in a process with the least capacity relative to demand, so it limits the output of the whole line. Work piles up in front of it while the steps after it wait, which is the usual way to spot one on the floor. An hour lost at the bottleneck is an hour lost for the whole system, so, as the theory of constraints teaches, improvement there pays back most.

Learn more

Guide: Manufacturing Bottleneck Elimination: 5 Proven Strategies
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing

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C

Catchball

Catchball is the back-and-forth dialogue used in hoshin kanri to agree goals and plans between levels of an organization. A leader proposes an objective, the team below responds with what it would take and what it can commit to, and the plan passes back and forth until both sides agree. The result is targets people understand and own, rather than numbers handed down.

Learn more

Guide: Catchball Process: How Hoshin Kanri Aligns Strategy Across Teams

Related: Hoshin kanri, X-matrix, Nemawashi

Cellular manufacturing

Cellular manufacturing arranges the machines and workstations needed to make a family of similar products close together, often in a U-shape, so parts move from one step to the next with little transport or waiting. A cell is usually run by a small team that can move between stations as demand changes. It is the physical layout that makes one-piece flow practical.

Learn more

Guide: Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing: What It Is and How It Works
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing

Chaku-chaku

Chaku-chaku, Japanese for “load-load,” is a way of running a cell in which the machines unload finished parts automatically and the operator’s only job at each station is to load the next part and move on. The operator walks the cell in process order, carrying one part at a time, so the cell runs as one-piece flow with minimal handling. It suits cells where machine cycles are automatic and short.

Learn more

Guide: Chaku Chaku: A Quick Guide for Beginners

Check sheet

A check sheet is a simple form for recording how often something happens, and where or when, using tally marks made at the process as events occur. The categories are set in advance, for example defect types by hour or by machine, so the data is collected the same way every time and is ready to analyze. It is often the first of the seven basic quality tools a team uses, and its counts feed Pareto charts and histograms.

CILR (clean, inspect, lubricate, retighten)

CILR stands for clean, inspect, lubricate, and retighten, the four basic equipment care tasks operators carry out as part of autonomous maintenance. Each machine gets a CILR standard that says which points to check, how, and how often, usually as a short checklist. Regular CILR catches loose fasteners, leaks, contamination, and wear before they turn into breakdowns.

Learn more

Guide: CILR: Clean Inspect Lubricate Retighten in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: CILR Checklists

Coaching kata

Coaching kata is a short, fixed routine in which a coach asks a learner five questions about their improvement work: what is the target condition, what is the actual condition now, what obstacles are in the way and which one are you addressing, what is your next step and what do you expect, and when can we go and see what you learned. The learner follows the improvement kata, a repeating pattern of understanding the direction, grasping the current condition, setting the next target condition, and experimenting toward it. Practiced daily, the pair builds scientific problem-solving habits.

Learn more

Guide: Coaching Kata: The Structured Routine Behind Toyota’s Leadership Development

Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)

A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is software that keeps a plant’s maintenance records in one place: the asset list, work orders, preventive maintenance schedules, spare parts, and each machine’s repair history. It schedules recurring tasks, tracks each job from request to close, and turns the history into measures such as MTBF and MTTR. An enterprise asset management (EAM) system covers the same ground plus the wider asset life cycle, such as purchasing and replacement planning.

Learn more

Guide: Why You Should Digitize Equipment Maintenance

Corrective and preventive action (CAPA)

CAPA, short for corrective and preventive action, is the quality process for removing the causes of problems. Corrective action eliminates the cause of a nonconformity that has already happened so it does not recur; preventive action removes the cause of a potential problem before it occurs. A CAPA is closed only after its effectiveness has been verified.

Learn more

Guide: CAPA Systems in Manufacturing: Corrective and Preventive Action Explained
In LeanSuite: Non-Conformance (NCR)

Cost of poor quality (COPQ)

Cost of poor quality (COPQ) is the cost a business carries because products or processes are not done right the first time. It covers internal failures such as scrap and rework and external failures such as returns, warranty claims, and complaints; broader definitions also count appraisal costs such as inspection. Putting a money value on defects helps rank which quality problems to fix first.

Learn more

Guide: Cost of Poor Quality: Calculation and Reduction Framework
In LeanSuite: Cost of Poor Quality
Free: Cost of poor quality (COPQ) calculator

Cross-training

Cross-training is the planned practice of teaching employees to perform jobs beyond their primary role. It gives a plant enough qualified people to cover absences, turnover, and swings in demand without stopping a line or depending on one expert. Progress is usually tracked in a skills matrix so gaps are visible before they cause a problem.

Learn more

Guide: Why One Employee Absence Can Shut Down Production Lines
In LeanSuite: Cross Training

Cycle time

Cycle time is how long one process step takes to complete one unit, as observed at the station. Comparing each station’s cycle time with takt time shows whether a line can keep up with customer demand and which station is the bottleneck. It is not the same as lead time, which is the total time a unit spends in the process, including waiting.

Learn more

Guide: The Three Elements of Standard Work: Takt Time, Work Sequence, Standard WIP
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing
Free: Cycle time calculator

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D

Digital work instructions

Digital work instructions are step-by-step job instructions shown on a screen, tablet, or phone at the workstation instead of on paper. They usually combine short text with photos or video, and because they are updated in one place, every station sees the current version. They are how standard work and SOPs reach the operator on the shop floor.

Learn more

Guide: The Benefits of Using Digital Work Instructions in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Digital Work Instructions

DMAIC

DMAIC is the five-phase improvement method used in Six Sigma: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control. The team defines the problem and goal, measures current performance, analyzes data to confirm root causes, improves the process, and puts controls in place to hold the gain. It suits complex, data-heavy problems where the cause is not obvious.

Learn more

Guide: DMAIC Process: A Quick Guide for Beginners
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects

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E

Eight pillars of TPM

The eight pillars of TPM are the areas of work that total productive maintenance is organized into: autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance, quality maintenance, focused improvement, early equipment management, training and education, safety, health and environment, and office TPM. They rest on a foundation of 5S. Each pillar has its own owners and goals, but they depend on each other; autonomous maintenance, for example, relies on the training pillar.

Learn more

Guide: The 8 Pillars of TPM: A Manufacturing Guide
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

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F

F-tag

An F-tag is a tag hung on equipment to mark an abnormality found during inspection or daily work, such as a leak, a loose bolt, contamination, or a damaged guard. The F stands for fuguai, Japanese for an abnormality or malfunction. Each tag is logged and stays visible on the machine until the problem is fixed, and tags are often split by whether operators or maintenance should resolve them.

Learn more

Guide: Why Digitize Abnormality Reporting (F-tags)
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a structured way to find how a product or process could fail before it does. For each failure mode the team rates severity, occurrence, and detection, then acts on the highest risks first, traditionally ranked by a risk priority number (RPN) and in newer methods by action priority. Process FMEAs are a standard part of launching and controlling manufacturing processes.

Learn more

Guide: FMEA in Manufacturing: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Complete Guide

Fault tree analysis (FTA)

Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a top-down root cause method that starts from one undesired event, such as a machine failure or a safety incident, and works backward through the combinations of events that could cause it. The causes are drawn as a tree joined by AND and OR logic gates, which shows whether one failure alone or several together are needed to produce the top event. It suits complex equipment and safety problems where several causes interact.

Learn more

Guide: Fault Tree Analysis: Event-Based Root Cause Analysis for Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

First pass yield (FPY)

First pass yield (FPY) is the share of units that come through a process step right the first time, with no rework, repair, or scrap. It is calculated as good units made first time ÷ units started × 100. Because reworked units are left out of the good count, FPY exposes the rework that a final yield figure can hide.

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Fishbone diagram

A fishbone diagram, also called an Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, is a visual tool for brainstorming the possible causes of a problem. The problem sits at the head of the fish and causes are grouped along the bones, often under categories such as man, machine, method, material, measurement, and environment. It organizes ideas for investigation; the likely causes still have to be verified with data.

Learn more

Guide: Fishbone Diagram: A Root Cause Analysis Visual Tool
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

Five lean principles

The five lean principles describe how to remove waste from a process: specify value from the customer’s point of view, identify the value stream, make the value-creating steps flow, let the customer pull, and pursue perfection. They were set out by James Womack and Daniel Jones in the book Lean Thinking. The cycle repeats, because each pass exposes more waste to remove.

Learn more

Guide: The Principles of Lean: What Are They?

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G

Gauge R&R

Gauge R&R (repeatability and reproducibility) is a study that measures how much of the variation in measurement results comes from the measurement system itself. Repeatability is the variation when one person measures the same part several times with the same gauge; reproducibility is the variation between different people measuring the same parts. The combined result is compared with the part tolerance or the process variation to decide whether the gauge is fit for use.

Learn more

Guide: Gauge R&R in Manufacturing: Repeatability and Reproducibility Studies

Gemba

Gemba is a Japanese word meaning “the actual place,” and in lean it means where value is created, most often the shop floor. The principle is that problems are best understood by going there to see the process, the product, and the people directly, rather than relying on reports.

Learn more

Guide: What is Gemba in Lean Manufacturing?

Gemba walk

A gemba walk is a leader’s planned visit to the place where work is done to observe the process, ask questions, and learn from the people doing the work. The aim is to see real conditions and support problem solving, not to inspect people or hand out orders on the spot. What the leader sees is noted and followed up as actions.

Learn more

Guide: How to Perform an Effective Gemba Walk on the Shop Floor
In LeanSuite: Audit Management
Free: Gemba walk checklist

Genchi genbutsu

Genchi genbutsu, Japanese for “actual place, actual thing,” is the Toyota principle of going to the source to see a problem for yourself before deciding what to do. Leaders and engineers check the real process, parts, and data at the gemba instead of relying on reports or assumptions. It is the thinking behind gemba walks and the 5G methodology.

Learn more

Guide: Genchi Genbutsu: Going to the Source in Manufacturing

Related: Gemba, Gemba walk, 5G methodology

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H

Hansei

Hansei is the Japanese practice of honest self-reflection: looking back at what went wrong or could have gone better, admitting one’s own part in it, and committing to a concrete change. At Toyota it is expected even after a success, on the view that there is always something to improve. Hansei meetings, or hansei-kai, are held at the end of a project or event to capture the lessons before they are lost.

Heijunka

Heijunka, or production leveling, is the practice of smoothing the volume and mix of production over a period instead of following the ups and downs of incoming orders. Rather than building all of product A on Monday and all of product B on Tuesday, a leveled schedule makes some of each every day in a repeating sequence. It reduces mura (unevenness), keeps upstream processes and suppliers at a steady pace, and makes just-in-time workable.

Learn more

Guide: Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing: What It Is and How It Works

Histogram

A histogram is a bar chart that shows how many measurements fall into each of a series of equal ranges, so the shape of a process’s variation can be seen at a glance. It shows whether results are centered on the target, how widely they spread, and whether the pattern is skewed or has two peaks, which can mean two machines, shifts, or material lots are mixed together. Drawing the specification limits on it gives a quick visual check of process capability.

Hoshin kanri

Hoshin kanri, also called policy or strategy deployment, is a method for linking a company’s few breakthrough goals to the work of every level of the organization. Goals are cascaded through a back-and-forth negotiation called catchball, often recorded on an X-matrix, and progress is reviewed on a regular PDCA cycle. It keeps improvement effort focused on what matters most to the business.

Learn more

Guide: Hoshin Kanri: The 7-Step Strategy Deployment Process for Manufacturing

Hour-by-hour board

An hour-by-hour board is a visual board at a line or cell that shows planned output against actual output for each hour of the shift, with a short note of the reason whenever an hour falls short. Because it is updated every hour, a missed target becomes a problem the team can act on during the same shift instead of something found in an end-of-day report. The recorded reasons feed the daily meeting and show which losses to attack first.

Learn more

Guide: Production Boards: Real-Time Team Communication on the Shop Floor

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I

Is/Is Not analysis

Is/Is Not analysis is a problem definition method that compares what, where, when, and how much a problem occurs with where and when it could occur but does not. The differences between the two columns point to what is distinctive about the problem and rule out causes that cannot explain the pattern. It is used early in 8D and other root cause methods to narrow the search before testing theories.

Learn more

Guide: Is/Is Not Analysis: Problem Definition for Root Cause Analysis
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

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J

Jidoka

Jidoka, often translated as autonomation or automation with a human touch, is the lean principle of building quality in by stopping the process as soon as an abnormality occurs. Machines detect problems and stop themselves, and people are empowered to stop the line, so defects are not passed downstream. It is one of the two pillars of the Toyota Production System, alongside just-in-time.

Learn more

Guide: Jidoka in Lean Manufacturing: The Complete Guide

Jishuken

Jishuken is a hands-on improvement workshop in which a group of managers or engineers studies a real process at the gemba and improves it there, usually over a few days, to build their own kaizen skills. The Japanese term roughly means “self-directed study.” It developed at Toyota, which uses it to train leaders and to support improvement in its own plants and at suppliers, with the lessons spread through yokoten.

Job cover matrix

A job cover matrix is a chart that shows, for each job or station, which people are qualified to cover it and how many backups exist. It exposes single points of failure, such as a machine only one person can run, so supervisors can plan cross-training and staff each shift with confidence. It is closely related to the skills matrix but organized around covering roles.

Learn more

Guide: Why One Employee Absence Can Shut Down Production Lines
In LeanSuite: Job Cover Matrix

Related: Skills matrix, Cross-training

Just-in-time (JIT)

Just-in-time (JIT) is a production approach in which each process makes and delivers only what the next process needs, when it needs it, and in the quantity it needs. It relies on pull signals such as kanban, level scheduling, and short changeovers, and it keeps inventory low so problems surface instead of being hidden by stock. JIT and jidoka are the two pillars of the Toyota Production System.

Learn more

Guide: Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing: What It Is and How It Works

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K

Kaikaku

Kaikaku, Japanese for “reform” or “radical change,” is a large, fast step change to a process or system, such as moving a line into cells or redesigning a whole value stream. Where kaizen improves in small, continuous steps, kaikaku is usually led from the top and changes how the work is organized. Plants follow a kaikaku with kaizen to stabilize and refine the new way of working.

Learn more

Guide: Types of Kaizen: From Daily Improvements to Radical Transformation
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects

Kaizen

Kaizen is the practice of continuous improvement through small, frequent changes made by the people who do the work. The Japanese word means “change for the better.” In a plant it shows up as daily problem solving, employee suggestions, and focused improvement events, all aimed at reducing waste and making work easier, safer, and more reliable.

Learn more

Guide: Kaizen: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Continuous Improvement
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects, Idea Management

Kaizen event

A kaizen event, also called a kaizen blitz or rapid improvement event, is a short, focused project, usually lasting a few days to a week, in which a cross-functional team improves one defined process. The team maps the current state, finds the waste, tests changes on the floor, and standardizes the new method before the event closes. Open actions are tracked afterward so the gain holds.

Learn more

Guide: Kaizen Events: Planning and Execution Guide
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects
Free: Kaizen event charter template

Kaizen teian

Kaizen teian is a system for collecting and acting on small improvement ideas from individual employees. Most ideas are changes people can make in their own area, and the emphasis is on quick review, recognition, and implementation rather than large savings per idea. It is the individual, everyday side of kaizen, alongside team-based kaizen events.

Learn more

Guide: Kaizen Teian: Individual Improvement Suggestions
In LeanSuite: Idea Management

Related: Kaizen, Kaizen event

Kamishibai board

A kamishibai board is a board of double-sided cards, one per check, used to schedule and track short audits of standard work and process conditions. A card shows green when its check has been done and the process met the standard, and red when the check found a problem or has not been done, so anyone can see audit status at a glance. It is a simple visual way to run leader audits such as layered process audits.

Learn more

Guide: Kamishibai Board: A Quick Guide for Beginners
In LeanSuite: Audit Management

Kanban

Kanban is a signal, traditionally a card, that authorizes a process to produce or move a set quantity of parts. When a downstream process uses material, the kanban goes back upstream as the instruction to replace it, so production is pulled by actual use instead of pushed by a forecast. The number of kanban in the loop caps how much inventory can build up.

Learn more

Guide: Pull Systems in Lean Manufacturing: How They Work and Why

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L

Layered process audit (LPA)

A layered process audit (LPA) is a short, frequent check that key process steps and controls are being followed, carried out by several layers of the organization, from supervisors up to plant leadership. Each layer audits on a set schedule from a standard question list, and any nonconformance is corrected on the spot or assigned as an action. LPAs are widely used in automotive manufacturing to confirm that high-risk controls stay in place.

Learn more

Guide: Layered Process Audit: The Benefits and Implementation Guide
In LeanSuite: Audit Management

Lead time

Lead time is the total time from the start of a process to its end as the customer or the next stage experiences it, for example from order to delivery. It includes processing, waiting, inspection, and transport, so it is usually much longer than the time spent actually working on the product. Common types are customer lead time, material lead time, production lead time, and cumulative lead time.

Learn more

Guide: What Are the Four Types of Lead Time?
Free: Lead time calculator

Leader standard work

Leader standard work is a written routine of the daily, weekly, and monthly tasks a leader performs to sustain the operating system, such as gemba walks, tiered meetings, audits, and checking visual boards. Writing it down makes the leader’s own work visible and repeatable and protects time for coaching and problem solving. It is the management counterpart to operator standard work.

Learn more

Guide: Leader Standard Work: What Manufacturing Leaders Should Do Daily

Leading and lagging indicators

Lagging indicators measure outcomes after they have happened, such as recordable injuries, lost-time incidents, or customer returns. Leading indicators measure the activities and conditions that come before those outcomes, such as near-miss reports, safety observations, audits completed, or hazards closed. Tracking both lets a plant act on risks before they show up in the results.

Learn more

Guide: Building Proactive Safety Culture Instead of Reactive Response
In LeanSuite: Near Miss Reporting

Lean manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a way of running production that aims to deliver what the customer values with the least waste of time, material, effort, and money. It grew out of the Toyota Production System and combines principles such as flow, pull, and continuous improvement with tools such as 5S, standard work, and value stream mapping. In practice it depends as much on how people solve problems every day as on the tools.

Learn more

Guide: The Ultimate Guide to Lean Manufacturing (2026 Edition)
In LeanSuite: Lean Manufacturing Software

Lean transformation

A lean transformation is an organization-wide change to working by lean principles, covering how work flows, how problems are surfaced and solved, and how leaders manage, rather than applying a few tools in one area. It usually starts in a pilot area or value stream and spreads as people and systems are ready. Because it changes daily habits and management routines, it is treated as an ongoing change, not a project with an end date.

Learn more

Guide: Lean Transformation: A Complete Guide for Beginners
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects

Line balancing

Line balancing is the practice of distributing work across the stations of a line so that each station’s workload is close to takt time and to the others. A balanced line has less waiting and fewer bottlenecks, and it needs fewer operators to meet the same demand. Yamazumi charts are the usual tool for seeing and redistributing the work.

Learn more

Guide: Manufacturing Bottleneck Elimination: 5 Proven Strategies
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing
Free: Line balancing calculator

Lockout/tagout (LOTO)

Lockout/tagout (LOTO) is the safety procedure that isolates a machine from all hazardous energy sources and keeps it isolated while people service or maintain it. Each authorized worker applies their own lock and tag to the energy-isolating devices, and the absence of energy is verified before work begins. In the United States, the requirements are set by OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.147.

Learn more

In LeanSuite: Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

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M

Mean time between failures (MTBF)

Mean time between failures (MTBF) is the average time a repairable machine runs between breakdowns. It is calculated as total operating time ÷ number of failures in that period, so a machine that ran 1,000 hours with 5 failures has an MTBF of 200 hours. A rising MTBF shows equipment is becoming more reliable; it is usually tracked alongside mean time to repair (MTTR), the average time to restore a machine after a failure.

Learn more

Guide: Maintenance KPIs: What to Measure and Why
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance
Free: MTBF and MTTR calculator

Mean time to repair (MTTR)

Mean time to repair (MTTR) is the average time it takes to restore a failed machine to working order. It is calculated as total repair time ÷ number of repairs in that period, so 20 hours spent on 5 repairs gives an MTTR of 4 hours. Plants differ on whether repair time covers the whole outage, including diagnosis and waiting for parts, or only hands-on work, so the definition should be stated with the number; a falling MTTR means breakdowns are being fixed faster.

Learn more

In LeanSuite: Professional Maintenance Tags

Measurement system analysis (MSA)

Measurement system analysis (MSA) is a set of studies that checks whether a measurement system, meaning the gauge, the method, the people, and the conditions, gives data good enough to base decisions on. It looks at bias, linearity, stability, repeatability, and reproducibility, with gauge R&R the most common study. If the measurement system is not adequate, control charts, capability studies, and pass/fail decisions built on its data cannot be trusted.

Learn more

Guide: Measurement System Analysis: Validating Gauge Reliability in Manufacturing

Micro-stops

Micro-stops are brief stoppages, from a few seconds to a few minutes, that interrupt a machine or line without being logged as downtime, such as jams, misfeeds, or sensor trips an operator clears by hand. Because each one is short they are rarely recorded, yet together they can be a large hidden loss. In OEE they count as a performance loss and are one of the six big losses.

Learn more

Guide: The Six Big Losses in Lean Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Micro-stops

Mizusumashi (water spider)

A mizusumashi, or water spider, is a material handler who runs a fixed, timed route delivering parts to production lines and collecting empty containers and kanban. By keeping materials at the point of use, the role lets operators stay at their stations doing value-added work. Because the route and timing are standardized, the water spider also carries the pull signals between supermarkets and the line.

Learn more

Guide: Mizusumashi: Water Spider Material Delivery for Pull Systems

Related: Supermarket, Kanban, Pull system

Muda, mura, muri

Muda, mura, and muri are the three types of waste in the Toyota Production System. Muda is any activity that adds no value for the customer, mura is unevenness in workload or flow, and muri is overburden on people or equipment. They are linked: uneven schedules (mura) push people and machines past their limits (muri), which creates waste (muda).

Learn more

Guide: Muda Mura Muri: The Toyota 3M Model Complete Guide
In LeanSuite: Loss & Cost Management

Related: 8 wastes of lean (DOWNTIME)

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N

Near miss

A near miss is an unplanned event that could have caused injury, illness, or damage but did not, often by luck or a last-second reaction. Reporting and investigating near misses lets a plant fix hazards before someone gets hurt. A strong reporting culture depends on reports being easy to make, free of blame, and visibly acted on.

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Guide: Near Miss Reporting That Actually Prevents Future Incidents
In LeanSuite: Near Miss Reporting

Nemawashi

Nemawashi is the practice of building consensus for a proposal informally, one to one with each person affected, before it goes to a formal decision. The word comes from Japanese gardening, where it means preparing the roots before moving a tree. It surfaces concerns early, improves the proposal, and makes the decision faster and easier to carry out.

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Guide: Nemawashi: A Guide to Japanese Consensus Building

Non-conformance report (NCR)

A non-conformance report (NCR) is a record that a product, material, or process did not meet a specified requirement. It documents what was found, where, and how much is affected, along with the decision on what to do with it, such as rework, scrap, use as is, or return to the supplier. Serious or recurring nonconformances are escalated to a CAPA to find and remove the root cause.

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Guide: Non-Conformance Reports: Managing Quality Deviations in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Non-Conformance (NCR)

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O

Obeya

An obeya, Japanese for “big room,” is a dedicated room where a cross-functional team keeps all the key information for a project or strategy on the walls, such as goals, schedules, metrics, problems, and countermeasures. The team meets there regularly, standing at the visuals to review status and make decisions quickly. It began at Toyota in product development and is now also used to manage plant performance and strategy.

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Guide: Obeya Room in Manufacturing: Visual Strategy Management for Cross-Functional Teams

One-piece flow

One-piece flow means moving products through a process one unit at a time, with each step making only what the next step needs and passing it on immediately, instead of in batches. It cuts work-in-process and lead time and exposes defects quickly, because a problem is found at the next step instead of after a whole batch is made. It usually needs a cell layout, balanced work, and reliable equipment.

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Guide: Just-in-Time (JIT) Manufacturing: What It Is and How It Works

One-point lesson (OPL)

A one-point lesson (OPL) is a single-page visual training sheet that teaches one piece of knowledge or one skill, such as how to read a gauge or set a guide. It is mostly pictures with little text, can be read in a few minutes at the machine, and is often written by operators or technicians themselves. OPLs are widely used in TPM and autonomous maintenance to share know-how quickly.

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Guide: One Point Lessons: A Quick Guide for Effective Training
In LeanSuite: AI OPL

Operational excellence

Operational excellence is the ability of an organization to deliver consistently on safety, quality, delivery, and cost while steadily improving, because good performance is built into how daily work is run. In manufacturing it combines lean, quality, and maintenance methods with standard work, daily management, and leadership routines that keep them going. It describes a way of operating rather than a single program or tool.

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Guide: What is Operational Excellence in Manufacturing?
In LeanSuite: Operational Excellence

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE)

Overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) measures how much of a machine’s planned production time is truly productive. It is calculated as availability × performance × quality: the share of planned time the machine runs, how fast it runs against its ideal rate, and the share of parts that are good. A score of 100% means only good parts, made as fast as possible, with no stop time.

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Guide: Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): What is it?
In LeanSuite: KPI Dashboards
Free: OEE calculator

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P

Pareto analysis

Pareto analysis ranks problems or causes by their impact, usually as a bar chart sorted from largest to smallest with a cumulative percentage line. It rests on the 80/20 rule of thumb that a few causes account for most of the effect. Teams use it to decide which defects, downtime reasons, or losses to work on first.

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Guide: Pareto Analysis in Manufacturing: Applying the 80/20 Rule to Problem Solving
In LeanSuite: Cost of Poor Quality

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act)

PDCA, short for Plan-Do-Check-Act, is the four-step cycle behind continuous improvement. You plan a change based on what you expect it to do, try it on a small scale, check the results against the expectation, and act by standardizing what worked or starting another cycle. It is also known as the Deming or Shewhart cycle, and some practitioners use PDSA, with Study in place of Check.

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Guide: PDCA Cycle: The Foundation of Continuous Improvement
In LeanSuite: Kaizen & Projects
Free: PDCA template

Related: DMAIC, A3 problem solving, Kaizen

Planned downtime

Planned downtime is time a machine or line is deliberately stopped on a schedule, for example for planned maintenance, changeovers, cleaning, trials, or breaks. Because it is known in advance, parts, people, and the production plan can be prepared for it. Plants set their own rules for which planned stops count against OEE, so the rule should be written down and applied consistently.

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Guide: Planned Downtime: What it is, the Benefits

Planned maintenance

Planned maintenance is maintenance work that is prepared in advance: the job is defined, and the steps, parts, tools, skills, and time it needs are worked out before it starts. It covers preventive and predictive tasks as well as repairs that can be prepared ahead of time. In TPM, planned maintenance is also the pillar through which the maintenance team builds a proactive program.

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Guide: Planned Maintenance: Optimization Strategies for Reliability
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

Poka-yoke

Poka-yoke, Japanese for mistake-proofing, is any device or method that prevents an error from being made, or makes it obvious at once so it cannot become a defect. Examples include fixtures that only accept a part the right way round, sensors that stop a machine when a step is skipped, and connectors that cannot be mated incorrectly. It builds quality in at the source instead of relying on inspection.

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Guide: Poka-Yoke: Error Proofing Methods in Manufacturing

Poka-yoke types

Poka-yoke devices are commonly grouped into three types by how they catch an error. Contact methods check a physical feature of the part, such as its shape, size, or position; fixed-value methods check that the right number of parts or actions has been completed; and motion-step methods check that the steps of a process were done in the right order. Each type can either prevent the error or warn when it happens.

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Guide: 3 Types of Poka-Yoke: Choosing the Right Method for Manufacturing

Predictive maintenance (PdM)

Predictive maintenance (PdM) schedules maintenance based on the measured condition of the equipment rather than on the calendar. Readings such as vibration, temperature, oil analysis, or current draw are monitored for signs of deterioration, and the repair is planned before failure is expected. It avoids both unexpected breakdowns and replacing parts that still have useful life.

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Guide: Preventive vs Predictive Maintenance: Key Differences

Prevention-appraisal-failure (PAF) model

The prevention-appraisal-failure (PAF) model sorts the cost of quality into four categories: prevention costs such as training and error-proofing, appraisal costs such as inspection and testing, internal failure costs such as scrap and rework, and external failure costs such as returns and warranty claims. The two failure categories make up the cost of poor quality. Spending more on prevention usually reduces the other three.

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Guide: Cost of Poor Quality: Calculation and Reduction Framework
In LeanSuite: Cost of Poor Quality, COPQ Calculator

Preventive maintenance (PM)

Preventive maintenance (PM) is maintenance done at set intervals of time or usage, such as monthly or every set number of running hours, to keep equipment from failing. Typical tasks are inspections, lubrication, adjustments, and replacing wear parts before they fail. It reduces breakdowns but can replace parts earlier than needed, which is why it is often combined with predictive maintenance.

Learn more

Guide: What are the Benefits of Preventive Maintenance?
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

Prioritization matrix

A prioritization matrix is a grid for ranking improvement ideas or problems, most often by impact on one axis and effort on the other. High-impact, low-effort items are done first, high-impact, high-effort items are planned as projects, and low-impact items are simplified or dropped. It turns a long backlog into an agreed order of work.

Learn more

Guide: Prioritization Matrix in Lean Manufacturing: Impact vs Effort
In LeanSuite: Quality Prioritization Matrix

Related: Pareto analysis, Kaizen

Process capability (Cp, Cpk)

Process capability measures how well a stable process can produce output within its specification limits. Cp compares the width of the tolerance with the spread of the process, (USL − LSL) ÷ 6σ, while Cpk also accounts for centering and is the smaller of (USL − mean) ÷ 3σ and (mean − LSL) ÷ 3σ. A Cpk of 1.33 is a commonly used minimum (a rule of thumb, not a universal standard), and the result is only meaningful when the process is in statistical control.

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Pull system

A pull system is a way of controlling production in which a process makes or moves material only when the next process signals that it has used some, instead of following a forecast-driven schedule (push). The signal can be a kanban card, an empty container or space, or an electronic trigger. Because work is released only as it is consumed, inventory stays capped and overproduction is avoided.

Learn more

Guide: Pull Systems in Lean Manufacturing: How They Work and Why

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Q

Quality at the source

Quality at the source means each person and process makes sure their own output is right before passing it on, instead of relying on inspection at the end. Operators are given the standards, gauges, and error-proofing to check their own work, and they can stop the process when something is wrong. It is the principle behind jidoka and poka-yoke.

Learn more

Guide: Quality at the Source: Building Quality Into the Production Process

Quality circle

A quality circle is a small group of employees from the same work area, usually with their supervisor, who meet regularly to find, analyze, and solve problems in their own work. Members are trained in simple problem-solving tools such as Pareto charts, fishbone diagrams, and check sheets, and they carry out fixes within their area of authority. The practice is associated with Kaoru Ishikawa and spread widely through Japanese industry.

Learn more

Guide: Quality Circles: Team-Based Problem Solving in Manufacturing

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R

RACI matrix

A RACI matrix is a table that lists the tasks or decisions in a process against the people or roles involved and marks each as responsible (does the work), accountable (owns the outcome and signs off), consulted (gives input beforehand), or informed (kept up to date). Each task should have exactly one accountable person. It removes confusion about who does what, especially in cross-functional projects and handoffs.

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Guide: RACI Matrix in Lean Manufacturing: Roles, Accountability, and Clarity

Reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance means repairing equipment only after it has broken down, also called run-to-failure or breakdown maintenance. It can be a sensible choice for cheap, non-critical items, but as the main strategy it leads to unplanned downtime, rushed repairs, and higher costs. Proactive approaches, such as preventive, predictive, and autonomous maintenance, aim to catch problems before failure.

Learn more

Guide: Proactive vs Reactive Maintenance: The Difference

Red tagging

Red tagging is the standard technique for the Sort step of 5S. Any item whose need in the area is in doubt gets a red tag and is moved to a holding area, where it stays for a set period before being returned, relocated, or disposed of. It clears out unneeded tools, materials, and equipment without people having to decide everything on the spot.

Learn more

Guide: 5S Methodology: A Complete Guide for Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: 5S

Related: 5S, 5S audit, Shadow board

Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM)

Reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) is a structured method for choosing the right maintenance approach for each asset based on its functions, how it can fail, and the consequences of each failure. For every failure mode the team picks a task, such as condition monitoring, scheduled replacement, a redesign, or deliberately running to failure, that is technically feasible and worth doing. It focuses maintenance effort on the failures that matter most for safety, production, and cost.

Learn more

Guide: Reliability-Centered Maintenance: A Practical Guide

Right first time (RFT)

Right first time (RFT) is the goal, and the measure, of doing every task correctly the first time, with no rework, repair, correction, or repeat. As a metric it is the share of units, batches, or documents that pass without any correction, much like first pass yield. It is achieved by building quality into the process through capable processes, clear standards, and error-proofing rather than by inspection.

Learn more

Guide: Right First Time Manufacturing: Principles and Implementation

Rolled throughput yield (RTY)

Rolled throughput yield (RTY) is the probability that a unit passes through every step of a multi-step process without any rework or scrap. It is calculated by multiplying the first pass yields of the steps, so three steps at 95% FPY each give an RTY of about 86%. Because losses compound, RTY shows the end-to-end quality of a line better than any single step’s yield.

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Guide: First Pass Yield: Definition, Calculation, and Improvement

Root cause analysis (RCA)

Root cause analysis (RCA) is the process of finding the underlying reason a problem occurred, so the fix prevents it from happening again instead of treating the symptom. Common tools include the 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, Pareto analysis, and fault tree analysis. A root cause is confirmed when removing it stops the problem from coming back.

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Guide: How to Perform an Effective Root Cause Analysis in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: AI Root Cause Analysis

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S

Scatter diagram

A scatter diagram plots pairs of measurements as points on two axes to show whether one variable changes with another, for example oven temperature against the number of defects. Points that cluster along a line or curve suggest a relationship, while a shapeless cloud suggests none. A pattern shows correlation, not cause, so a suspected cause still has to be confirmed with a test or at the gemba.

Scheduled maintenance

Scheduled maintenance decides when planned maintenance work will be done and who will do it, fitting jobs into production windows and technician availability. Planning answers what and how; scheduling answers when and by whom. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they are separate steps, and a job should be planned before it is scheduled.

Learn more

Guide: The Difference Between Planned and Scheduled Maintenance

Seven basic quality tools

The seven basic quality tools are a set of simple charts and methods for collecting and analyzing quality data: the check sheet, Pareto chart, cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagram, histogram, scatter diagram, control chart, and stratification. Kaoru Ishikawa promoted them in Japan so that front-line teams, not only specialists, could solve most everyday quality problems themselves. Some lists replace stratification with a flowchart.

Learn more

Guide: Total Quality Management: Principles and Manufacturing Application

Shadow board

A shadow board is a board with the outline of each tool drawn or cut out where it hangs, so every tool has a fixed home and a missing one is noticed at once. It is a common Set in order tool in 5S and a simple example of visual management. Boards are kept at the point of use, and the outlines are often labeled with the tool name or size.

Learn more

Guide: Types of Visual Management Tools in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: 5S

Related: 5S, Visual management, Red tagging

Single-minute exchange of die (SMED)

Single-minute exchange of die (SMED) is a method for cutting changeover time, the time from the last good part of one product to the first good part of the next. Its core idea is to separate internal work, which can only be done with the machine stopped, from external work that can be done while it runs, then move as much as possible to external and streamline both. The name reflects the goal of changeovers under ten minutes, a single-digit number of minutes.

Learn more

Guide: The Best Strategies to Reduce Changeover Time in Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: SMED
Free: SMED changeover calculator, SMED changeover worksheet

SIPOC diagram

A SIPOC diagram is a one-page, high-level map of a process that lists its suppliers, inputs, process steps, outputs, and customers in five columns. The process column is kept to a handful of main steps, so the team agrees on where the process starts and ends, and who it serves, before mapping it in detail. It is commonly used in the Define phase of DMAIC and at the start of improvement projects.

Six big losses

The six big losses are the main causes of lost productivity on equipment, grouped under the three OEE factors: equipment failures and setup and adjustments (availability), idling and minor stops and reduced speed (performance), and process defects and reduced yield at startup (quality). Naming losses this way tells a team where OEE is being lost and what kind of fix is needed.

Learn more

Guide: The Six Big Losses in Lean Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Loss & Cost Management

Six Sigma

Six Sigma is a data-driven method for reducing variation and defects in a process, organized around the DMAIC cycle and statistical tools. The name refers to a process so well controlled that it produces no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. Lean Six Sigma combines it with lean’s focus on flow and waste, and practitioners are trained in levels called belts, such as Green Belt and Black Belt.

Learn more

Guide: What is the Six Sigma Lean Methodology?

Skills matrix

A skills matrix, also called a competency or training matrix, is a grid that shows each employee’s level of proficiency in each skill or task their area needs. It shows at a glance who is trained, who is in training, and where the team is thin, so leaders can plan training and cross-training. Most matrices use a simple scale, for example from not trained to able to train others.

Learn more

Guide: Closing Plant-Wide Skill Gaps in 90 Days: A Practical Framework
In LeanSuite: Competency Management
Free: Skills matrix template

Spaghetti diagram

A spaghetti diagram is a drawing of the actual path a person, product, or document takes through a work area, traced as one continuous line on a floor layout. The tangle of lines makes wasted walking, transport, backtracking, and crossing flows visible, and the total distance can be measured. Teams draw one at the gemba before and after a layout change to show what it saved.

SQDCM

SQDCM stands for safety, quality, delivery, cost, and morale, the five categories many plants use to organize daily performance boards and tiered meetings. Each category has a few simple measures that are reviewed every shift or day against target, and misses are turned into actions. Some sites use SQDC without morale, or swap in people or environment.

Learn more

Guide: Tier Boards: Cascading Daily Management Explained
In LeanSuite: Tiered Meetings

Standard maintenance procedure (SMP)

A standard maintenance procedure (SMP) is a documented, step-by-step method for doing a specific maintenance task, such as replacing a bearing or calibrating a sensor, the same safe way every time. It usually lists the tools, parts, safety precautions including lockout points, and the checks that confirm the job was done right. SMPs turn experienced technicians’ know-how into a method others can learn and repeat.

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In LeanSuite: AI SMP

Standard operating procedure (SOP)

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written, approved document that describes how to carry out a routine operation consistently and safely. It typically states the purpose, scope, responsibilities, required materials, and the steps in order, and it is kept under document control so only the current version is used. On the shop floor, SOPs are often backed by shorter work instructions at each station.

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Guide: What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?
In LeanSuite: AI SOP

Standard work

Standard work is the current best known way to do a job, written down with three elements: takt time, the work sequence, and the standard in-process inventory needed to run it. It gives a stable baseline, so abnormalities stand out and improvements can be measured and locked in. Standard work is expected to change as the team finds better methods.

Learn more

Guide: Standard Work in Manufacturing: A Complete Guide
Free: Standard work sheet template

Standard work in process (SWIP)

Standard work in process (SWIP) is the minimum number of parts that must be inside a process, at and between stations, for operators to follow their standard work sequence without waiting. It is one of the three elements of standard work, with takt time and the work sequence. A common estimate is the total cycle time of the steps ÷ takt time, plus any parts held for curing, cooling, or inspection; anything above the standard is excess inventory.

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Guide: The Three Elements of Standard Work: Takt Time, Work Sequence, Standard WIP

Statistical process control (SPC)

Statistical process control (SPC) is the use of statistics, mainly control charts, to monitor a process while it runs and tell normal variation from real change. A control chart plots measurements over time against a center line and control limits, usually set three standard deviations either side of the mean. Points outside the limits or non-random patterns signal a special cause to investigate, while variation inside them is common cause and can only be reduced by changing the process.

Learn more

Guide: The Most Popular Lean Six Sigma Tools and Techniques

Stratification

Stratification is the practice of splitting data into groups by its source, such as machine, shift, operator, supplier, or product, before analyzing it. A problem that looks spread evenly across a whole process often turns out to come mostly from one group once the data is separated. It is one of the seven basic quality tools and is usually applied to check sheet, Pareto, and scatter diagram data.

Supermarket

In lean, a supermarket is a controlled store of parts placed between two processes that cannot be linked by continuous flow. The downstream process takes what it needs, and the upstream process makes only enough to replace what was taken, usually signaled by kanban. Each item has a fixed location and set minimum and maximum quantities, so the stock level is visible and capped.

Learn more

Guide: Supermarket Pull Systems in Lean Manufacturing

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T

Takt time

Takt time is the rate at which products must be finished to meet customer demand, calculated as available production time divided by customer demand for that period. For example, 27,000 seconds of available time and demand for 900 units give a takt time of 30 seconds per unit. It sets the pace for the line and is the target that station cycle times are balanced against.

Learn more

Guide: The Three Elements of Standard Work: Takt Time, Work Sequence, Standard WIP
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing
Free: Takt time calculator

Theory of constraints (TOC)

The theory of constraints (TOC) is a management approach, developed by Eliyahu Goldratt, that treats the output of any system as limited by its tightest constraint, often a bottleneck machine or process. Improvement follows five focusing steps: identify the constraint, exploit it, subordinate everything else to it, elevate it, and then repeat for the next constraint. Time lost at the constraint is lost for the whole system, so that is where improvement pays back most.

Learn more

Guide: The Theory of Constraints: A Framework for Operational Excellence
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing

Throughput

Throughput is the rate at which a process turns out finished, good output, such as units per hour or orders per day. A line’s throughput is set by its bottleneck, so speeding up other steps does not raise it and only builds inventory. In the theory of constraints, throughput is defined in money terms instead, as the rate at which the system generates money through sales.

Learn more

Guide: The Theory of Constraints: A Framework for Operational Excellence

Throughput time

Throughput time is the total time a unit takes to pass through a process from start to finish, including processing, inspection, moving, and waiting. Because waiting is usually the largest part, it is much longer than the sum of the cycle times, and cutting queues and batch sizes shortens it most. Despite the similar name it is a time, not a rate like throughput, and for a stable process it equals work in process ÷ throughput (Little’s Law).

Learn more

Guide: How to Improve Throughput Time in Manufacturing

Tier board

A tier board is the visual board a team stands at during its tiered meeting, showing that level’s performance against target, usually grouped by SQDCM, along with open problems and their actions. Each tier’s board is fed by the one below it, so an issue can be traced from the front-line board up to the plant leadership board. Red and green marks against each target show in seconds where attention is needed.

Learn more

Guide: Tier Boards: Cascading Daily Management Explained
In LeanSuite: Tiered Meetings

Tiered meetings

Tiered meetings are a cascade of short stand-up meetings held at set times each day, from front-line teams (tier 1) to area leaders (tier 2) and plant leadership (tier 3 and above). Each tier reviews performance, often by SQDCM, and escalates problems it cannot solve to the next tier, while decisions and support flow back down. The cascade gets each problem to the level that can fix it on the same day.

Learn more

Guide: Tier Boards: Cascading Daily Management Explained
In LeanSuite: Tiered Meetings

Total effective equipment performance (TEEP)

Total effective equipment performance (TEEP) measures how much of all calendar time, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, a machine spends making good parts at full speed. It is calculated as OEE × utilization, where utilization is planned production time ÷ all available time. OEE shows how well the scheduled time is used, while TEEP also shows the capacity left in unscheduled shifts, weekends, and planned stops.

Total productive maintenance (TPM)

Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a plant-wide approach to equipment reliability that makes operators, maintenance, and management jointly responsible for keeping machines in top condition. It aims for no breakdowns, no small stops or slow running, no defects, and no accidents, and it is usually organized in pillars such as autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance, and focused improvement. OEE is its usual measure of progress.

Learn more

Guide: Total Productive Maintenance: A Complete Manufacturing Guide
In LeanSuite: Autonomous Maintenance

Total quality management (TQM)

Total quality management (TQM) is a management approach in which everyone in the organization shares responsibility for quality and for continually improving processes to meet customer needs. Its core principles include customer focus, involvement of all employees, a process view of work, decisions based on data, and continual improvement. Many of its tools, such as quality circles, Pareto analysis, and PDCA, are shared with lean and Six Sigma.

Learn more

Guide: Total Quality Management: Principles and Manufacturing Application

Toyota Production System (TPS)

The Toyota Production System (TPS) is the production and management system developed at Toyota and the basis of what became known in the West as lean manufacturing. It is often drawn as a house with two pillars, just-in-time and jidoka, standing on a foundation of standardized work, heijunka, stability, and kaizen. Its aim is to make exactly what the customer needs with the least waste, while developing people who solve problems every day.

Learn more

Guide: The Toyota Production System: A Complete Guide

TWI Job Instruction

TWI Job Instruction is a four-step method for teaching someone to do a job correctly, safely, and consistently: prepare the worker, present the operation, try out performance, and follow up. Before training, the trainer writes a job breakdown sheet listing the important steps, the key points, and the reasons for each key point. It comes from the Training Within Industry program created in the United States during World War II and is widely used to teach standard work.

Learn more

Guide: TWI Job Instruction: The Training Method Behind Standard Work
In LeanSuite: On-the-Job Training (OJT)

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U

Unplanned downtime

Unplanned downtime is any time a machine or line stops when it was scheduled to run, because of a breakdown, missing material or operators, a quality problem, or another unexpected event. It is the most disruptive kind of stoppage because nothing is ready for it, and in OEE it counts as an availability loss. Reducing it is the main goal of preventive, predictive, and autonomous maintenance.

Learn more

Guide: How to Reduce Manufacturing Downtime?
In LeanSuite: KPI Dashboards
Free: Downtime cost calculator

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V

Value stream mapping (VSM)

Value stream mapping (VSM) is a lean method for drawing every process step, material flow, and information flow needed to bring a product from order to delivery. The current-state map shows where time is lost and waste sits, usually summarized as total lead time against value-added time; the future-state map shows the target flow and the plan to reach it. It helps teams improve the whole flow instead of optimizing single steps.

Learn more

Guide: Value Stream Mapping: A Beginner’s Complete Guide
In LeanSuite: Value Stream Mapping

Value-added time

Value-added time is time spent on steps that change the product in a way the customer is willing to pay for, done right the first time. Non-value-added time is everything else, and it splits into pure waste, which can be removed, and necessary non-value-added work, such as some inspections or regulatory steps, which cannot be removed yet. Comparing value-added time with total lead time shows how much of a process is waiting and handling.

Learn more

Guide: Value-Added vs Non-Value-Added Time in Manufacturing

Visual management

Visual management is the practice of making the state of work visible at a glance, so anyone can tell whether things are normal or abnormal without asking. It includes floor markings, shadow boards, labels, andon lights, and performance boards. The point is to prompt fast action on problems, not just to display information.

Learn more

Guide: Visual Management in Lean Manufacturing: Complete Overview

Related: 5S, Andon, Tiered meetings

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W

Waste walk

A waste walk is a planned walk through a work area with the single purpose of spotting and recording waste, usually using the eight wastes as a checklist. Participants observe the real process, note each example with its location and evidence, and turn what they find into improvement actions with owners. It differs from a general gemba walk by having one narrow focus: finding waste.

Learn more

Guide: Waste Walk: Step-by-Step Shop Floor Waste Identification
In LeanSuite: Loss & Cost Management

Work in process (WIP)

Work in process (WIP) is material that has entered a production process but is not yet finished, such as parts waiting between stations, sitting in queues, or partly assembled. Lean treats excess WIP as inventory waste, because it ties up cash and floor space, hides problems, and lengthens lead time. By Little’s Law, average lead time equals average WIP ÷ throughput, so cutting WIP at the same output shortens lead time.

Learn more

In LeanSuite: Value Stream Mapping

Work order

In maintenance, a work order is the record that authorizes and describes a job: what needs doing, on which asset, by whom, by when, and with what parts and safety steps. It is raised from a breakdown, an inspection finding, or a preventive maintenance schedule, and it is closed with the work done, the time spent, and the parts used. Closed work orders build the repair history used to calculate MTBF and MTTR and to plan future maintenance.

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In LeanSuite: Professional Maintenance Tags

World class manufacturing (WCM)

World class manufacturing (WCM) is a structured production system that combines lean, TPM, and total quality methods and aims for zero accidents, zero defects, zero breakdowns, and zero waste. It is built on ten technical pillars: safety and health, cost deployment, focused improvement, autonomous activities, professional maintenance, quality control, logistics, early equipment management, people development, and environment. Its hallmark is cost deployment, which puts a money value on losses so improvement work goes where the cost is highest.

Learn more

Guide: A Beginner’s Guide to World Class Manufacturing
In LeanSuite: Loss & Cost Management

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X

X-matrix

An X-matrix is a one-page hoshin kanri planning tool that links long-term breakthrough objectives, annual objectives, top-level improvement priorities, and the metrics used to track them, with the people responsible shown alongside. The four lists sit around a central X, and grids in the corners mark which items support which. It lets leaders check that every improvement project traces back to a strategic goal.

Learn more

Guide: X-Matrix in Lean Manufacturing: Strategy Alignment Tool

Related: Hoshin kanri, Catchball

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Y

Yamazumi chart

A yamazumi chart is a stacked bar chart of the work content at each operator or station, broken into individual tasks and often colored by value-added, non-value-added, and waste. Drawn against a line for takt time, it shows at a glance which stations are overloaded or underused. Yamazumi means “stack up” in Japanese, and the chart is the standard tool for line balancing.

Learn more

Guide: Yamazumi Chart: Workload Balancing for JIT Production Lines
In LeanSuite: Line Balancing

Related: Line balancing, Takt time

Yokoten

Yokoten is the practice of sharing a proven improvement or lesson learned sideways, across lines, shifts, and sites, so other teams can adopt and adapt it. The Japanese word roughly means “horizontal deployment.” Unlike a top-down mandate, the receiving teams go and see the original improvement and then fit it to their own conditions.

Learn more

Guide: Yokoten: Horizontal Deployment of Kaizen Best Practices
In LeanSuite: Yokoten, Best Practice Management

Related: Kaizen, Standard work, Jishuken

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